In the last blog we saw how from
Upanishads of yester-years all the tenets of today’s Hinduism have arisen. We
also saw many differences between Christianity and Hinduism. In this blog I
want to deal with a ubiquitous comment of every Hindu, whom we come across in
our daily walk, that all religions teach the same and that there is one God
whom different religions call by different names. Like different rivers which
finally merge with the ocean, all religions are just different paths to reach
one God. Is this correct? Is Jesus and Shiva or Vishnu or even Allah the same?
Do even Hindus believe this? Or is it their way of assimilating the other
religions into their fold, while keeping theirs intact? Because, if all
religions are the same then why is this furore over conversion in India? Again,
if there are no differences between religions why do people fight over religion
and kill each other all over the world, throughout man’s history? We will analyze
some of these issues in this blog.
First of all, Hindus worship many
gods. They have no compunction in including many others as they go; they would
even worship Jesus as one among their many gods. They are polytheists. Bible
teaches that there is One God and He is the true God and there is no other God
besides Him.[1] It
is a strict Monotheism. All three religions that arose from Abrahamic faith,
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions. This biblical God,
Yahweh, whom Jews worshiped, is also worshiped as God by Christians, for Jesus
called Him his Father.[2]
Jesus also promised to send his followers the Holy Spirit, as a Helper and
Comforter.[3]
Though this God Christians know as the Triune God, it is not three different
gods, but made of the same substance and constitute one, single Godhead. It is
not three different gods making a triumvirate like the Hindu gods of Brahma, the
creator, Vishnu the sustainer and Shiva the destroyer. The Triune God, since
beginning, starting with the creation of the world and in the working out of
the plan of God for the salvation and redemption of the fallen human race,[4]
and the on-coming final end of the world in consummation, have always worked as
One.[5]
So this is the first and the major difference between the two religions.
Secondly, though in Hinduism at the
popular level many gods are worshiped as idols, in Brahminical Hinduism, which
has Vedanta philosophy at the core as its belief, Brahman, their god, has no
shape; it is one amorphous, effulgent, shining mass of consciousness, called Paramatman; there is no name or form or
attributes. Christians hold their God as Spirit,[6]
but we have in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who walked on earth, the very
image of God.[7]
God worshiped by Christians has attributes; He is merciful, gracious,
long-suffering, abounding in goodness and truth.[8]
This is another major difference between the two religions.
Third, there is no karma theory and
the connected caste system in Christianity. The hall-mark of Hinduism is karma
theory, the cycle of repeated births and deaths and the resultant caste system.
A person reaps the effects of his karma (bad or good deeds) done in the
previous births; he suffers in this life, by being born in the lower castes and
as out caste (Dalit), if he has done bad deeds in the previous lives; or enjoys
life by being born in upper castes, if he had done enough good deeds in the
previous births. The status of a person in the caste hierarchy is directly
related to his karma. There is no escape from karma; even gods cannot forgive a
person’s evil deeds; he has to pay it by suffering for it in the next births.
This is the explanation that Hindus give for a person who is suffering in this
life. They also do not believe in helping the suffering or the downtrodden to
improve his life, because he has to pay up his penalty. Though this attitude is
changing now, due to the influence of Christianity and the West, the basic
attitude is that a leper or a man in the slums is paying his previous karma and
he has to go through that. He is not to be helped. That will be interference with his fate!
Here in lies the major difference. In
Hinduism no one, not even gods can forgive a person of his sins (mistakes,
intentional and unintentional included); in Christianity, Christ has acclaimed
that He, the Son of Man (another title of Christ), has the authority to forgive
sins.[9]
As a matter of fact, He is the only God who ever said that He has the authority
to forgive sins. Peter in his very first sermon said thus to the people, who
were cut to their hearts that they could be saved, if they repent of their sins,
seek forgiveness from Christ and obtain remission of sins, and be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit.[10]
We need do to do nothing; no working out our karma by doing good deeds; or
trying to earn our way to heaven through good works. No, Jesus has done it all
for us on the cross; he has paid the price for our sins; all that we have to do
is to accept it in faith and seek His forgiveness, and then lead a godly life,
guided and helped by the Holy Spirit.
Yes, Christians are always in the
forefront doing good works, but that is not with an intention of earning merit
before God, but because they have already been saved and included in the family
of God, where they can call God their Abba,
Father.[11]
What a privilege and what a difference! Who dare say that there are no
differences between various religions!
Another important difference is how
the Hindu and Christian see the body. The former considers the body as a prison,
which holds the spirit or soul captive; hence their mukti or deliverance is when the soul discards the body in death
and rises above to merge with the Brahman. Nothing good comes out of the body
for him. But in the case of the latter, the Christian, the body is precious
because God created it and hence it is good; God created man in His own image;[12]
secondly because the body is the temple in which the Holy Spirit resides.[13]
How can that be evil? Body is good and when we die and are resurrected, it will
be with the body that we will rise and stand before God for judgment.
Christians also have no such concept
of merger with God as Hindus have. Creator God is always separate, pure and
holy. Man in his death can never be so pure as to become one with God. The
Creator and the created beings will always be separate.
Hindus see the world as an extension
of Brahmans and believe that Brahman vibrates in all animals, humans and
nature. That is also a reason why they are able to worship any and everything,
including bird, animals and humans as gods. This is strictly prohibited in the
Bible. No idol worship of any created being.[14]
Well, my friends, so if anyone is
telling you that there are no differences between religions, he is simply
ignorant or is trying to take you for a ride. There are deep and major
differences. Only in the ethics, may be, some virtues as being good,
god-fearing, respect to elders and parents, importance of alms-giving, etc,
there is some kind of similarity. But in the core issues there are many deep
and enduring differences. We need to be aware of these and be able to defend
ourselves, when such casual remarks are thrown at us by our Hindu friends! And beware
of the assimilating tendency and assimilating power of Hinduism!
[1]
Exodus 20:3
[2]
John 15:9 and many such passages
[3] John
14:25, 16:13; Romans 8:15
[4]
Galatians 4:4-6
[5]
Genesis 1:26;
[6]
John 4:24
[7]
John 1:14
[8]
Exodus 34:6-7
[9]
Matthew 9:6
[10]
Acts 2:38
[11]
Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:15-16
[12]
Genesis 1:27
[13] 1
Corinthians 6:19-20;
[14]
Exodus 20:4
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